Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-01-24
FASHIONABLE NEW YORK. PEOPLE.
Young Msn Whose Sole Ambition IL
Along the Line of Dress.

Young Msn whose Sole Ambition Is
Along the Line of Dress.
We have young men here whose sole am
bition is along the line Of dress the ''eter-
nal fitness of things" 10 wear; not alone
men who wear morning, afternoon and even
ing costumes while in the city; not alone
men. 50 to sp-ak, who change their suits
half dozen times day at fashionable
watering places during the summer. but
men who have special suits for specific oc-
casiOns.
As, for instance, they are at the seashore.
A boating excursions, yachting or otherwise,
Is planIied They-loom up in full sailor rig.
A tramp across the hills or elsewhere is on
the programme They join it with fault
les pedestrian costume, from cap to shoes,
with staff thrown in They vesr plain
duck. with pumps and boutonniere. as they
read the morning paper and smoke fra
grant Havana ON the broad hotel piazza.
They attend the evening concert In elabo-
rate evening dress. Their head gear cor
responds with their other attire, and every
thing matches all else besides. In no whit
do these semblsnces of mankind differ from
their sists srs. their cousins or their aunts
in this all asorbing occupation.
A woman of fashion has as many parasols
ss she has street dresses. This hat goes with
this costume. This psrasol with that hat.
Some sven go so FAR as to have puppy dogs
to match the color Of their dress, and il Is
Q cold day when any scrid critic Of similar
gender can point the finger Of detection at
any garment Of inhsrnony upon the shoul-
ders. the head, the feet or the hands Of these
fashionable crznks Of gentility.
To e..rtaiu srrart these pssoDip h
called fashionable I suppose, although it
would be absurd to say that such idiocy as
this Ia the fashion with any considerable
portion OF New York people. Enough,
however, TO form Q very marked group arc
here, and their conspicuosity, their promi-
nencs attracts attention to such Q degree by
the very fact of their oddity, their peculiar
ity, - TO lead the thoughtless TO ovsresti-
mate their numerical strength The in
creasing wealth Of many New York families
Is undoubtedly the secret Of many curious
customs that are little by little obtaining
foothold here. There was . time, wheS
New York was further down town than it b
now, that . very pleasant social custom oh
tained on New Years day. The population,
was small, and social circlss were limited.
They were less cut up INTO cliques and
church sets than they are now, and tina
radius Of habitation was smaller. Then it
was possible for . gentleman, between the
hours Of Q in the morning and at night
to cover hts social acquaintanceship with a
call, in which ceremony and sociability
went hand in hand, when q call was some
thing more than a fiirt, when the object
sought was not list as long as the moral
law, when women estimated the pleasure Of
the day by the satisfaction derived from
seeing friends, rather than counting up
score after score Of puils at her door bell
OF late years, the city having grown %
that even elevated trains are unable to sup
ply the demand for rapid transit, it has be-
come a simple physical impossibility for any
man to approximately comply with this so
sial custom, and II Is several years now since
it was regarded ss a social duty. In fact,
% grossly abused have been the he s0ftali
ties, so egregiously ssinine have been the
developments Of the suddenly rich along the
line of display, thst quiet and respectable
people, who care more for old fashioned
courtesy and lifelong friendship than for
the flip oant compliments Of noodledum,
have little by little withdrawn from par
ticipation in the custom OF receiving or pay
ing New Years calls.
Others who dislike exceedingly TO give up
all recognition OF the day content them
selves by sending cards, very tame and
unexciting mode for one 10 inform his
friends that he still lives and holds them in
his memory. - Jos Howard in Boston Globe.